(05-10-2013 05:06 AM)undergroundp Wrote: Atheism has a very practical use for society. If more people were atheists, they would stop praying to God to save them, they'd realize that only THEY can help themselves and they'd do something to change things.

If that's what you mean.

I see modern atheism and modern theism as dong nothing and being useless to society at this point Are todays atheists doing anything differently about the failing economy vs todays theists? They both seem to be complacent about the situation and seem to be going along with things.

(05-10-2013 04:25 PM)I and I Wrote: I see modern atheism and modern theism as dong nothing and being useless to society at this point

Can you please define "atheism" so that I can know what you are discussing here?
I'm an atheist as I lack a belief in god thus everything I do is presumably "atheism". I feel that I am a productive member of society. I have a job, my work adds value to the company that I work for, it provides profit for the shareholders and services for the customers, I pay taxes, I purchase goods thus provide income for others. I have participated in charities, I have participated in non profit community organisations. All without belief in god/s.

(05-10-2013 05:06 AM)undergroundp Wrote: Atheism has a very practical use for society. If more people were atheists, they would stop praying to God to save them, they'd realize that only THEY can help themselves and they'd do something to change things.

If that's what you mean.

I see modern atheism and modern theism as dong nothing and being useless to society at this point Are todays atheists doing anything differently about the failing economy vs todays theists? They both seem to be complacent about the situation and seem to be going along with things.

Then wouldn't your inane rants be better served on a conspiracy theory forum or something? Just saying....

But now I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.

(04-10-2013 02:08 PM)I and I Wrote: Example: right now the capitalist world is experiencing and will continue to experience further declines economically and economic depression on a world wide scale is well already began. How does theism or atheism have any practical uses in helping this situation.

Theists and atheists are welcome to attempt to explain the practical uses of their belief systems.

If there are no practical uses for real world problems then are the positions of atheism and theism a head in the sand personal belief that keeps people distracted from every day life?

The world is moving towards economic decline precisely because all over the world societies are moving further and further away from the principles that underlie capitalism: individualism, property rights, liberty. Those were the principles that brought about the greatest prosperity in Human history. Atheism is not a philosophy. It is a position on a single question. Religions are a form of philosophy. They are a belief system and it is precisely the principles taught by every religion that are undermining individualism and capitalism. Where do you see any capitalism? What we have more and more is a mixture of freedom and fascism or socialism. The two are incompatible. Socialism and fascism are based on the premise that a man's life does not belong to him as are almost all religions. Capitalism is simply people producing goods and trading them with one another freely and voluntarily. It is based on the premises that a man owns his own life and the products of his labor and his mind. It is about producing and keeping values not giving them up in selfless sacrifice to others whether that be the society or a god. A moral code that preaches self sacrifice and that we are our brother's keeper is incompatible with capitalism and life. Until men stop believing that they are nothing more than sacrificial animals here to serve others and never themselves, to serve an incomprehensible god for an unknowable purpose then the world will continue to decline back into another dark age. My greatest fear is not that the world will turn more to socialism after it collapses but to theocracy. The only thing that will help the situation is a moral code of reason, individualism and production.

Atheism is not of use to society but rationality and critical thinking are. The irrationality of religion, in my opinion, is the greatest threat to the world today.

Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. - Ayn Rand.

Don't sacrifice for me, live for yourself! - Me

The only alternative to Objectivism is some form of Subjectivism. - Dawson Bethrick

(04-10-2013 06:04 PM)I and I Wrote: If me and you were fixing a car, how would any of our beliefs affect the way we go about repairing the car.

It wouldn't.

But what if two kids grew up wanting to get into a field of earth science, and one was taught the earth was 6000 years old and evolution was false, and then later learned that brought his chance of getting that job down to near zero?

Or what if 2 men or 2 women went to the court house to get a marriage license only to have them say "Nope, that goes against god's will"?

Those are just 2 examples of "practical" issues with atheism/theism.

(05-10-2013 04:25 PM)I and I Wrote:

(05-10-2013 05:06 AM)undergroundp Wrote: Atheism has a very practical use for society. If more people were atheists, they would stop praying to God to save them, they'd realize that only THEY can help themselves and they'd do something to change things.

If that's what you mean.

I see modern atheism and modern theism as dong nothing and being useless to society at this point Are todays atheists doing anything differently about the failing economy vs todays theists? They both seem to be complacent about the situation and seem to be going along with things.

They pull an answer, you pull another question. They send one of your posts to the top, you send one of theirs to the bottom.... that's the Chicago I&I way.

(04-10-2013 02:08 PM)I and I Wrote: Example: right now the capitalist world is experiencing and will continue to experience further declines economically and economic depression on a world wide scale is well already began. How does theism or atheism have any practical uses in helping this situation.

Theists and atheists are welcome to attempt to explain the practical uses of their belief systems.

If there are no practical uses for real world problems then are the positions of atheism and theism a head in the sand personal belief that keeps people distracted from every day life?

lolwut?
Whoever gave you this idea that capitalism is and will continue to decline is a fucking idiot. Much like yourself actually.